Expressive Silence
by Dannrose
Summary: Unintentionally becoming a major part of the Great Thaw has changed Kristoff's life. While Anna is worth it, being accepted by the royal family certainly has its own challenges, especially if you can't say anything. Fortunately, there are a lot of people willing to guide and support him all the way. Minor AU set after the first move, featuring a mute Kristoff.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone and welcome to a sort of minor AU. I wavered on going with this as the change I've made is basically the same as one from a story I've written for Voltron: Legendary Defender. However, I believe the two respective universes are different enough that the two stories will be very different.**_

_**In essence, this AU is that Kristoff is actually mute and is set after the first film. I decided that people really didn't want a lesser re-hash of the film that would be exactly the same except Kristoff doesn't speak, as such, assume the main points of Frozen remain unchanged. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I do not own any aspect of Disney's Frozen.**_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

His eyes were fixed upon the castle gates, fear beating through him as he approached.

Kristoff Bjorgman had been invited to dinner, by the Queen…the ice magic wielding Queen.

The invitation had come to him via Anna, very informally since the Princess just said it almost as an afterthought.

"_Oh, by the way Kristoff, Elsa has invited you to dinner on Wednesday, be there by six. See you later!_"

She'd then run off before he could even get anything more out of her, like what he would be expected to wear, or whether there were multiple guests or just him. Meaning, he was completely clueless as to what was expected.

Unfortunately, this was on Monday evening, Anna was then busy on Tuesday, so he didn't see her, and he didn't get a chance on Wednesday morning either. In effect he was sledding blind.

In the end, he opted for as formal as he could get, which was basically thoroughly washing his town clothes and hoping that would do, though he did manage to find enough spare money to spring for a nicer pair of shoes.

He didn't attend formal functions much.

He also had no clue about etiquette, troll customs were far more laid-back than those of nobility and mostly amounted to coming of age ceremonies that were basically practical lessons. There were no rules about eating or conduct aside from not calling Grand Pabbie rude names (anyone else was fair game), and while he had the basics (such as not shovelling plated food into your mouth with your hands) that was it.

However, it wasn't his clothes nor lack of etiquette that scared him the most, it was his inability to actually speak.

He had always been mute, even before the trolls took him in, and had long since used a form of sign language to communicate. This was another reason he tended to avoid people, it was too difficult to try and 'talk' with others, most didn't get what he was trying to say, many thought he was stupid, and others simply walked away. This barrier meant he sold ice to only a few people, those that were patient and understanding enough to translate and learn his hand gestures, allowing them to actually make an arrangement.

Even then it was a limited understanding, enough to work out business, but not much beyond that. Of course, there'd been the crooks who'd attempted to raise their prices sky high because they thought he wouldn't know better, unfortunately, this had happened often enough for him to get suspicious of anyone he thought was trying to cheat him. (He really needed to apologise to Oaken when he next saw him, the man wasn't trying to be cruel or unfair, just make a sale.)

Either way, Anna was surprisingly unbothered by his muteness when they met, from the moment he signed his issue to her, she went with it, continuing to treat him normally and even managing to pick up on what he was signing to her extraordinarily fast. When he'd asked her about it, she just told him that his face was very expressive, making it easy to understand him, like Sven.

The comparison to his reindeer friend had been interesting.

Regardless, throughout their adventure, Anna had never made a big thing out of his muteness, not once, and while that could be attributed to a load of far more important things going on, she still hadn't done so now the adventure was over.

In fact, she'd seamlessly taken on role as translator as needed when they were together, allowing him to talk with more people than before and finding most to be understanding now they knew what he was saying. She'd even begun learning the same sign language from him, and, while unnecessary since he understood words just fine, it had been fun devolving into a purely silent conversation from time to time, as they signed away at each other.

The Queen, however, was a different prospect.

He'd not had a lot of interaction with her so far, he'd been formally thanked, and his sled and gear had been replaced as his reward, along with his new title, but that was about it. She'd been very busy dealing with the aftermath of the coronation, and he'd only really been involved by chance through meeting Anna, not really much grounds for getting to know each other.

Now though, he was invited to dinner with the Queen and he couldn't speak a word.

The wide-open gates were daunting, guards posted on either side and seemingly glaring at him as he entered, none made to stop him, but he felt like they were scrutinising his every move. If he hadn't been shaking in his boots, he might've noticed a couple of the older ones give him small smiles, his part in helping Anna and Elsa had not gone unnoticed.

The courtyard was emptier at this time, most people returning to their own homes for their own meals, but there were still the odd townsfolk scattered about, mostly relatives of servants or guards. Some gave him a smile and greeting as he passed, but he barely noticed as he felt his heart rate increase with every step. Many shook their heads in fond understanding, mostly because he almost looked like he was genuinely about to faint.

A furry head nudged him in the back, and he looked back at his friend and companion, Sven. The reindeer gave him an encouraging look, "_You've got this._"

Kristoff nodded and gave a smile, feeling slightly better, and his friend gave one more encouraging glance before heading off to the stables, both of them were pretty sure Sven wouldn't be allowed into the castle as well.

Taking a deep breath, Kristoff renewed his approach of the main doors. As he got closer, he wondered what the right thing to do was, did he knock? He glanced at the guards by the door, maybe he approached them first?

Further thoughts were interrupted by the doors themselves swinging open, revealing Kai, Elsa's right hand and Head of Staff. He gave a short bow, "Master Bjorgman, it is a pleasure to see you."

Mind blanking out, Kristoff awkwardly bowed back, was that what he was supposed to do?

Kai gave an amused smile, "There's no need for you to do that, not for me anyway." He gestured inside, "Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are awaiting you in the second Dining Room. If you'd please follow me."

* * *

By the time they'd reached the second Dining Room (who had two of those anyway?), Kristoff was already overwhelmed.

The amount of _stuff_ he'd seen on the way, suits of armour, paintings, furniture, things he had no clue what they were, had blown his mind. Who kept so much in their home? His welcome had thrown him as well, guards stood at attention as he passed, servants curtsied or bowed, and even a couple of what he assumed were nobles gave him respectful nods.

Not what he was used to.

By the time they reached a set of large double doors, he felt like his head was about to explode. Kai motioned for him to stop and the man gracefully opened the doors and spoke in a carrying voice, "Your Majesty, presenting Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer."

His feet feeling like lead, Kristoff stepped into the room, only to be tackled by an enthusiastic princess, "Kristoff!"

"Anna…"

Elsa's amused, but slightly admonishing tone carried across the room.

The younger princess released the ice harvester, but pulled a face at her sister, who simply responded with a small smile before focusing on her guest."

"Thank you for accepting our invitation Master Bjorgman."

He awkwardly bowed and went to respond with some polite greeting but froze, worried that his method of communication would be inappropriate.

Anna gave a giggle, "It's okay Kristoff, Elsa is already aware that you can't speak, I've even taught her a bit of your sign language."

He glanced at her, then at the Queen who nodded in confirmation.

More confident, he quickly signed, and she smiled, "You are most welcome, to be honest I'd hoped to arrange this sooner, but things just kept getting in the way."

"I'll say." Anna added, "You always seem to be in a meeting or behind your desk."

"I'm the Queen, I can't just ignore things if I feel like it."

"I know, but can't you at least take a little more time off."

It devolved into a good-natured argument between the two, and Kristoff found himself slowly relaxing as they made their way to the table.

* * *

Two weeks later, Elsa found herself watching fondly as Anna dragged Kristoff around town.

That first meal had been a resounding success, Anna had wanted to properly introduce Kristoff to her ever since the Great Thaw, but things just kept cropping up. Yes, they'd met, but it had been a swift introduction amongst a sea of tasks and diplomatic meetings and that wasn't nearly enough.

Firstly, she wanted to properly thank the man who'd helped her sister and, ultimately, her so much. Secondly, she wanted a better judgement of his character, they'd been burned big time with Hans, and a repeat of that could never be made again.

It hadn't taken long for her fears to be allayed.

Kristoff was literally an open book; she didn't think he could manage a poker face if his life depended on it. Possibly because of his inability to speak, his face clearly reflected his emotions, when he was relaxed, anxious, happy or anything else, you could see it. He was honest as well, almost too honest, saying (or signing) what he thinks.

Unknown to him, he'd gained the support and affection of quite a few of her staff and guards. Sven was spoiled rotten when he was in the stables (she hoped all the extra carrots wouldn't make the reindeer fat), and one of the guest rooms had already been (unofficially) declared 'Kristoff's' by Gerda. On top of that, Kai had already begun learning the Ice Master's sign language, ready to act as translator should the need arise for official functions.

Hopefully she could spare Kristoff the trials of such things for a while yet.

Fortunately, he still had work especially because of his new title, it had been a bit of a turnaround for the ice harvesters, they'd usually had to deal with their business themselves, but now their job had gained some more structure, including winter work. Normally, their ice wasn't required during winter, no need to keep food and produce cool after all, meaning they had to take on other jobs. However, partly due to her creations, ice sculpting had become a bit of a thing amongst the people of Arendelle, and sculptures needed the right ice, which needed the right men to get it, even in winter. It likely wasn't going to be enough to tide over families through winter, but it would help the harvesters get a little extra money on top of their, often unreliable, secondary work.

As such, a bit of a network had developed amongst the harvesters, with Kristoff unintentionally taking the lead.

This had allowed him to avoid being invited to various formal functions, partly due to Elsa's own machinations, but the nobility was becoming eager to meet one of the heroes of the Great Thaw.

How to ease him in gently?

She chuckled as Kristoff nearly tripped over his own feet as Anna tugged him by the arm towards something that had caught her interest, Olaf and Sven trotting along after them. Her amusement grew as she saw the ice harvester prise his hand from her sister's grasp so he could properly sign to one of his fellow harvesters, and she shook her head fondly as she turned away from her study window.

It was possible that she could book some time in for Kai and Gerda to teach him the beginnings of etiquette, fortunately, Arendelle was rather lax on such things amongst their own nobility, so there was time for him to learn before being dragged to gatherings filled with foreign and sometimes more uptight nobles.

She then was hit with a brainwave.

What if she planned an official celebration of the Great Thaw, her own coronation celebrations had obviously ended in disarray, so it would be good to hold an event. It would also help her ease the minds of her citizens, the summer skating rink had certainly helped stem their fears, but they'd been so supportive despite what happened. The least she could do was give them something back in return for the kingdom giving her another chance.

Her mind began running through ideas, if she hosted an early formal dinner, it could be then be followed by a more relaxed party for everyone, maybe outside. Kristoff and Anna would naturally be guests of honour, but since it was Arendelle's nobles only, the usual rules could be relaxed, and they would both have a less stifling party to look forward to afterwards.

She nodded to herself.

Yes, this could be an excellent plan. Naturally, she'd have to run it by the council, but she would speak with Kai and Gerda first so they had a solid plan to present, Anna would also certainly wish to take part in preparations as well.

Pleased with her idea, she sat at her desk and created a rough outline of her idea, before turning her attention to the numerous other pieces of paperwork she had to attend to.

* * *

_**PS- So there we have it, a long introduction to the story. I'm not sure this will have a set plot as it were, more a meandering path through different situations. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. A bit of a gap to reach this one, but I've also been working on another Frozen AU called 'Between Earth and Ice', please give it a look if you'd like. This chapter looks at two different events, one with Gerda and the other with Kai. Thank you those who've shown their support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

CRASH!

Gerda didn't even bat an eyelid as the ringing and clanging rang throughout the castle. It wasn't the first time this had happened, and she was certain it wouldn't be the last either. Regardless, she turned her path towards the staircase, walking past several shocked servants who'd joined after the Great Thaw and weren't aware of the eccentricities of the royal family yet.

She reached her destination and momentarily halted at what she saw.

While she'd been expecting a suit of armour or two to be scattered across the floor, she hadn't been expecting quite this much devastation. The entire corridor at the foot of the stairs seemed to be covered in bits of armour, and she watched in mild interest as a shield casually rolled past her. She looked at the biggest heap and saw a couple of limbs sticking out of it.

Limbs that definitely didn't belong to Princess Anna.

This was confirmed as said princess rushed down the stairs, "Kristoff! Are you alright?"

Her response was a clanging as the limbs moved and the man in question sat up, a helm balancing awkwardly on his head. Gerda immediately moved to assist, eyes taking stock of the damage as she did so.

It appeared that Kristoff (likely at Anna's urging), had attempted to ride a bicycle down the steps, proven by the bicycle amongst the metallic rubble. If she had to guess, the ice harvester had come off the bike and been flung towards one side of the corridor while the bike went the other way. He'd then crashed into one suit of armour which then crashed into the others as the bike did the same thing on the other side, taking out all six suits of armour in one shot.

She was impressed.

As far as she was aware, no-one had managed to get all six before, King Agnarr had achieved two, and Princess Anna just about managed to get three, but all six? It was certainly a new record.

The boy was holding his head as Anna fussed around him, and Gerda winced. His success had cost him a nasty bump on the head that was going to need ice soon.

"This is impressive."

The voice of the Queen echoed through the corridor, causing any gathered servants to jump to attention nervously. Gerda simply turned and gave a polite curtsy, noting Elsa's look of amusement.

The Queen smiled, "I must say, I don't think anyone has managed to get all six at once, you've achieved a new record Master Bjorgman."

He froze up, shock and horror on his face which was quickly allayed by Elsa forming a block of ice and pressing it against his bumped head and helping him stand up. Together, the princesses began leading him towards the castle infirmary, Anna chattering away as she went.

"I know, right. Father told me he'd managed to take out two, our mother achieved one and I've managed three. I think the one whose got the most until now was our great-grandmother, who got up to four."

"Well there was only four here at that time." Elsa clarified, "Two of them were moved here from the library by our father."

"So, Kristoff is the only the second person to achieve a full strike?"

"Exactly, and his is even more impressive since he had two extra sets to get."

Kristoff awkwardly signed to them and Elsa laughed, "Don't worry Kristoff, this has happened before and is something of a tradition, just think of it as another step into joining the family."

They disappeared down the corridor and Gerda addressed the bemused servants.

"Well come on. Get this mess cleaned up."

They rushed to obey.

* * *

Kai hid his amusement at Kristoff's expression.

As Elsa had planned, they were going to be holding a celebration of the Great Thaw in a few weeks, with Kristoff and Anna as guests of honour at the dinner. With this approaching, he and Gerda had been charged with teaching the ice harvester etiquette and to say the boy was out of his depth was a bit of an understatement.

He had no clue.

To be honest, they'd expected as much. They'd been told that Kristoff had been pretty solitary by choice and being reared trolls hadn't taught him much about human customs, of course he'd be starting from scratch.

The boy eyed the number of pieces of cutlery set out in front of him and gave Kai a look of disbelief.

The head servant gave a tiny smile, "And this isn't the amount we use when we have foreign dignitaries. The nobility of Arendelle are laxer about such things than elsewhere in the world."

Kristoff raised an eyebrow and looked down at the cutlery again, before giving him another disbelieving look.

Kai simply nodded, then proceeded to explain, "Now, I shall go through what dish each piece is for, but if anything, remember this. Work from the outside in, that'll help you keep right if you forget. Also, keep your elbows off the table, keep your back straight, and do not start eating until the Queen has."

The boy had been doing exactly that, and immediately lifted his elbows off the table and straightened his back. Kai smiled in approval, Kristoff actually had rather good posture, then proceeded to explain each piece of cutlery.

As he taught, he could see Kristoff battling to take it all in, doing his best to do has he was told and learn it all. However, he soon began to flag, the sheer amount of information becoming too much for him to handle, and Kai called an end to the lesson.

Mentally exhausted, Kristoff slumped forward, resting his head on the table, even as Kai praised him.

"Excellent work today Kristoff."

The boy raised his eyes at him in hopeful askance.

"Yes, it was. Etiquette is not easy, and you already have some of the basics sorted after just one lesson."

Kristoff signed at him, and Kai shook his head, "No, your muteness will not be an issue. Most of the nobles are aware of it now anyway and you are rather good at getting your point across without words. If needed, I will be present to translate your words to someone or Princess Anna will be."

He gave a mischievous smile and signed something else. Causing Kai to raise an eyebrow.

"No, I will not translate it if you choose to insult anyone." He then gave a mock frown, "And don't even think about using someone's lack of understanding of your sign language to be rude to them without their knowledge."

Kristoff quickly signed something, and Kai quickly clipped him round the ear.

"Language boy!"

* * *

_**PS-So Kristoff achieves a new record and gets lessons from Kai. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one is during the formal part of the celebrations and introduces some more characters who may or may not crop up again later. Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Gerda had to confess; she and Kai were now rather fond of Kristoff.

The celebration was now only days away, and he'd mostly mastered the dinner etiquette under Kai's teaching and was now effectively established as a frequent visitor/permanent resident. She'd already noticed that most of the staff spoiled the ice harvester rotten, as well as Sven, and they would bend over backwards for him. Not that he ever asked much of them anyway.

However, she also knew of the few nobles and suchlike that did not appreciate Kristoff very much.

While Arendelle's nobles were indeed mostly less uptight than those of other countries, there would always be one or two that were full of themselves. Most liked Kristoff, but these few hated the boy's guts, just because they didn't like a commoner being so close to the royal sisters. Naturally, they'd often mentioned their concerns that Kristoff was simply using them for his own interests but seeing as the ice harvester was blatantly not abusing his position in any way, none believed or took them seriously.

Regardless, their disdain for the ice harvester was obvious, and you could guarantee that they would be looking for a chance to embarrass or humiliate Kristoff.

* * *

The Queen's planned celebration was about to begin, and Kai made sure he was well positioned near Kristoff and Anna.

Fortunately, as guests of honour, it made perfect sense for the two to remain side by side throughout, meaning that Kristoff wouldn't be abandoned in the middle of a formal function. Unfortunately, being a guest of honour meant that all eyes were upon him, and it was clear that he was very uncomfortable with it.

The pre-dinner mingling was starting, and Kai was ready to introduce the first noble to greet the pair.

"Lady Helena, your Highness."

Anna politely curtsied as Kristoff bowed (which was now slightly less awkward, he'd clearly been practicing), and Lady Helena returned the gesture and smiled, "A pleasure to meet you again Princess Anna." She turned to Kristoff, "And it is an honour to finally meet you Ice Master."

Kristoff quickly signed, and Anna translated.

"He said it is an honour for him as well, as it is for me Lady Helena."

The woman gave a small laugh, "Thank you Princess, and Ice Master Bjorgman." She looked to him once more, "May I ask, how did you come up with your way of communication? It is quite inspired."

He signed his answer as Anna translated again.

"He said that his adoptive family taught it to him, they came up with it and he's used it ever since."

She inclined her head in interest, "I see, I would very much like to learn it properly, not only to save Princess Anna from constantly translating for you, but I think it could be very useful for more people to learn. It might be good to standardise sign language in Arendelle to make things easier for both deaf and mute people. Currently, most people with such disabilities use their own form, but I think a common form would be very beneficial."

She smiled again, "Anyway, I have taken up enough of your time, thank you Princess Anna and Ice Master Bjorgman."

She curtsied and they responded once again before she made her way over to some other guests as Kai nodded encouragingly.

Lady Helena was very supportive of the royals, she always had been, and she'd been very pleased to hear about Kristoff saying, 'well its about time we got some non-blue blood amongst us'. She was kind and polite, precisely the reason why Kai had introduced her first.

Next was General Matthews, a long-time server in Arendelle's military and considered one of the most experienced in the field, he'd long since retired but was as spry as a young deer and strong as an ox. The respect he held was immense, and he was yet another who'd taking a liking to Kristoff.

He strode up as Kai introduced him, and greeted the pair boldly, "Good to see you again Princess Anna and a pleasure to finally meet one of Arendelle's finest men!"

Anna giggled as Kristoff blushed furiously, while the old General continued.

"I heard about what you did young man, and might I say, lesser men would've given up long before you did." He grinned, "There are some young soldiers these days that could do with some of your pluck!"

Kristoff, blushing even more furiously, awkwardly signed something, and Matthews replied before Anna could translate, "No need for modesty lad. I heard all about your part in the adventure and I must say that I am impressed." He then nodded to Anna, "And you of course your Highness, it goes without saying that Arendelle owes you much."

She curtsied, "Thank you for your words General."

He bowed and shuffled off, heading for a gathering of other military men, and the greetings continued.

* * *

They'd finally reached dinner, and Kristoff did Kai proud.

Not only did he remember his posture and way to sit, but he didn't falter once with the cutlery.

He'd taught him well.

The mingling at the start had gone without a hitch, the problematic nobles had simply been politely frosty but they'd expected that, and Kristoff had been collared by Lady Helena once more, who'd then spent time learning his sign language, picking it up fast with Anna's assistance.

Dinner also seemed to be running well, no untoward incidents had occurred, and the potential troublemakers were quiet.

That should've made him suspicious.

They'd reached dessert, a rather good chocolate pudding, and it was a lull in the conversation when one of the problems began to make their move.

"Princess Anna, may I ask how long the Ice Master will continue to grace us with his presence this evening?"

Though a perfectly polite and innocent question from Lord Edwin, there was a loaded meaning behind it, and Kai felt everyone tense. The fact the question had been posed to Anna, instead of Kristoff himself spoke volumes, it meant that he didn't consider the ice harvester worthy enough to be spoken to.

This did not escape the notice of most, several others giving Lord Edwin dirty looks, but Kristoff looked confused, and glanced at Anna, who responded frostily, "I am not sure Lord Edwin." She then turned blatantly to Kristoff, "Ice Master, do you know how long you'll be able to stay this evening?"

While still confused, Kristoff seemed to understand that something else was going on, and he signed his reply. Instead of translating, Anna looked back at Edwin expectantly, to which the Lord replied with a false smile.

"Forgive my ignorance your Highness, but I do not understand his…alternative method of communication."

She smiled tightly, "He said that he will remain until after dinner, at which point he will go to join the festivities in the courtyard, as will I."

There was no obligation to remain after dinner, Elsa had planned it that way deliberately, so, in essence, the end of dinner marked the end of the formal celebration. Of course, most of those gathered were likely going to join the courtyard party anyway, not just Kristoff and Anna.

The lord nodded, "I see." He glanced at Kristoff in slightly disguised disgust before continuing, "However, if the Ice Master is uncomfortable with being here, I'm sure he can depart early, no need to keep him here to perform more."

At that, the room temperature noticeably dropped as Elsa narrowed her eyes, and many of the other guests raised their eyebrows at this barely concealed insult to Kristoff. Anna visibly bristled, but before she could say anything, Elsa gently touched her hand and gave her a meaningful look. She then spoke, "Ice Master Bjorgman, what do you say to Lord Edwin's suggestion?"

All eyes fell upon Kristoff who was glowering slightly, he'd experienced subtle insults before, and he carefully began signing his answer, as Elsa took over the translation.

"He says that he appreciates the suggestion Lord Edwin. However, he believes it would be insulting to me if he was to excuse himself early."

Kristoff had paused while Elsa relayed the message, and he continued, "He does, however, ask if you are uncomfortable with his presence."

Expectant eyes turned to the Lord, awaiting his response, Edwin kept a polite face, "Not at all, your Majesty, if he wishes to remain, then I have no objections to him."

The tone of his voice very much indicated otherwise, but Kristoff wasn't done yet and kept signing, a mischivous smile on his face.

"Then he says that he will remain, also, he wishes to add that he is very appreciative of my hospitality, and he assumes that you are as well, Lord Edwin."

At his signing, Lady Helena swiftly suppressed a laugh, as did the General and Anna, and Kai raised an eyebrow. He knew full well that Elsa was certainly not translating correctly, Kristoff had actually referred to the Lord as 'you ungrateful, stuck-up salmon' at the end, fortunately, Lord Edwin didn't know what he'd actually said.

"Of course, Ice Master. Her Majesty's hospitality remains as high a standard as ever."

Kristoff quickly signed back and Kai nearly clipped the boy around the head right there and then, what he'd said was certainly not polite nor remotely flattering. He really needed to have a word with the boy about his language.

At his response, those who understood him nearly lost control and burst into laughter, thankfully they maintained their poker faces, and Elsa smoothly altered the translation.

"Then he suggests that we continue with dessert, something that I agree with."

The conversation over, they began eating, though Lord Edwin was clearly unhappy with the result, and with everyone else distracted, Kai leaned close to Kristoff's ear.

"Don't let me catch you using such language again young man."

* * *

_**PS-I think I might continue having Kai despairing at Kristoff's bad language, its quite fun. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to another chapter. This actually ends up producing something of a plot, but we'll see where it goes. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Kristoff was enjoying the quiet night air.

While he really liked the time spent with Anna and the others, he still needed some time for just himself, so he'd gone out for a night-time stroll. Sven had opted to remain in the stables this time, letting his friend head out alone, but Kristoff didn't mind.

Arendelle's streets were still, most people having retired to their own homes by now, and he ambled through, heading no particular direction. One of the nearby bars was still doing business, warm light and raucous laughter and conversation emanating from within, he smiled but carried on walking.

He wandered the streets for some time, until he eventually turned back towards the castle, if he was gone too long and Anna noticed then she'd be out looking for him. As he walked alongside the docks, he failed to notice the figures attempting to follow him, but he did see the man walking towards him.

He paid them little heed, going for a polite nod as he passed, but the man stopped and greeted him, "You're out late lad."

Kristoff simply shrugged and signed quickly, explaining he was heading in, but the man frowned, "What?"

The ice harvester sighed, but the stranger continued speaking, "Nice night for a walk I suppose?"

He nodded in response, but frowned, there was something off about this man.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and he snapped his head round and saw the two other men coming out of hiding, grinning maliciously. Before he could do anything, the stranger who'd spoken to him grabbed him from behind.

"I dumb child like you shouldn't be wandering alone at night boy."

Kristoff instantly went to fend them off, but the other two pounced, pinning him to the ground. Ignoring his struggles, one searched him for his wallet and any other valuables, while the other two bound his hands.

THUNK!

Suddenly, one of them went limp and collapsed, causing the other two to stop and look up in surprise, only to be greeted by the sword butt of Arendelle's captain of the guard.

"Get off him!"

The two made to fight back, but the captain didn't have his position for nothing, and in short order, they were also unconscious, even as other guards rushed up to assist him.

The captain helped Kristoff to his feet, and untied his hands, "Are you alright lad?"

Kristoff nodded, and the captain addressed his men, "Take these three to the dungeons, and inform me when they come around."

They saluted and moved to obey, hauling the three away as the captain refocused back on Kristoff, who signed his thanks.

"Don't mention it lad. Now, let's get you back to the castle."

He started to sign that he could get there by himself just fine, but the captain wouldn't hear of it.

"I'm sure you could lad, but General Matthews will have my head if I don't escort you back after something like that. Not to mention how the Queen and the Princess will react."

Kristoff would give him that one, but he gulped at Anna and Elsa being told what happened, they weren't going to let him go anywhere alone for weeks. The captain grinned.

"And don't think you won't have a guard or two nearby for a while, we can't take any chances you know."

The ice harvester signed back, but the captain shrugged.

"You might think it's a bit much, but you're effectively part of the royal family now, and we have our duty."

Kristoff sighed, resigning himself to his fate.

* * *

"WHAT!"

They'd returned to the castle without incident, but the captain had insisted on informing both the Queen and the Princess of what happened, and Anna was not happy.

She swooped upon Kristoff, "Are you alright, did they hurt you?"

He quickly signed that he was fine and uninjured, but the princess wasn't done.

"Well, you can't go off by yourself for a while, and there's no way you're going up into the mountains for ice either."

He gaped in shock, and quickly began to protest, but Elsa cut across him, "I'm sorry Kristoff, but Anna is right. We can't rule out the possibility that this was an attack specifically targeting you, so I think it best if you stay close to the castle for the time being. You can still do parts of your job as Ice Master from here."

She then addressed the captain, "Increase patrols around the town, and put out a warning to the people telling them to be alert and watchful."

He nodded and bowed before striding out the room, while Kristoff still protested her decision.

Anna appealed to him, "Please Kristoff, I know its not ideal, but put up with it for a few days. We just don't want anything to happen to you."

He pulled a face, sighed, then nodded resignedly, and Elsa smiled, "Thank you, and don't worry. Things will likely go back to normal in a few days."

* * *

The captain entered the Queen's study, a grim expression on his face.

Queen Elsa greeted him, "Captain, did they say anything?"

He'd just been questioning the three men they'd arrested, who'd fortunately been rather generous with what they knew.

"Yes, your Majesty." He gave his report, "They were indeed hired by someone else to target Master Kristoff specifically, though they were only given a description, not a name or information as to who he was."

"So, it was a specific plan then."

"Indeed, your Majesty. Naturally though, they don't know who actually hired them, it was all done through an intermediary."

She sat back, "Who's no doubt disappeared by now."

He nodded, "Most likely, but I will launch a covert investigation immediately, we'll see what we can dig up. Until then, I'll have people keeping an eye on Master Kristoff for his protection, out of sight of course, I don't think he'll like having guards following him around all hours of the day."

The Queen smiled, "Thank you Captain, you're right in saying that he won't want to be smothered. Anna will be doing more than enough of that."

He briefly smiled at that, "I'm sure." He became serious, "Obviously, the increased security will include yourself and the Princess as well, though it is most likely unnecessary in your case your Majesty. Still, I would rather be over-cautious in this case, but we'll endeavour to impact your daily lives as little as possible."

"Understood Captain and thank you." She looked thoughtful, "Perhaps turn your investigation towards some of our…less than happy nobles. This is just a hunch, but they do seem likely masterminds to this plot."

He bowed, "Understood, your Majesty."

* * *

_**PS-So, subtle machinations begin. Please let me know what you thought.**_


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